Diet-friendly alcoholic beverages

No need to watch the waistline with these

The joy of the holidays comes at a price — we feel it in and around our waists. Keep the calories low with these beverage suggestions.

Look at that: The holiday season is finally upon us. While we cringe at the thought of stepping on the scale or trying to wear track pants as trousers to work or stuffing ourselves into every single article of clothing that we swear has shrunk, why not check out some holiday alternatives to minimize the bulge?

We can't stop you from eating too much pie or too many cookies, but when it comes to alcoholic beverages, we can offer some suggestions. The reins are in your hands; this is just some useful information to keep in mind whilst getting intoxicated at an office Christmas party. This is real talks — take it or leave it!

Go big or go home

We're talkin' hard liquor here, ladies. The benefit of drinking the "big boy" sips is that you can consume less to achieve your preferred level of inebriation. Hence, fewer calories. For example, the pride and honour of Mother Russia — vodka — contains approximately 104 calories per shot (35 millilitres). Gin contains 98 calories per shot, and Vermouth only 64. Note we are referring to these drinks in their purest forms. Adding orange juice to vodka almost doubles the calorie intake, for instance. But if hard liquor doesn't faze you, go ahead and take a swig of that whisky from the old flask while waiting in line to see Santa. Hey, it's the holidays, after all…

Keep it classy

Classy is always better, no? While you're celebrating with your friends and family, may we interest you in some wine? Despite being incredibly delicious in a this-is-so-good-it-must-be-bad-for-me way, wine is actually low in calories. A glass of wine (or 150 millilitres) is approximately 100 calories; the count varies depending on the type of wine. So next time you're at a dinner table, go ahead and indulge in a few glasses of a decent pinot grigio.

The fancies

If wine just doesn't cut it for you, and taking shots with your parents doesn't sound like a good time, a cocktail may be just what the doctor ordered. Be wary of cocktails, though, as most are full of sugar and syrups. Some delicious and safe options are a Bloody Mary, which packs only 120 calories per 135 millilitres, and a cosmopolitan, which contains 131 calories. Fun fact: The Canadian equivalent or cousin of the Bloody Mary is a Caesar. Despite being very popular here, it is unknown beyond the border. You don't always have to sacrifice when losing weight; just don't drink five of these.

The lazies

Now, this one is entirely up to your self-control. (Uh-oh.) If consumed responsibly, beer can be a dietary drink. For example, an average beer has approximately 150 calories per 350 millilitres, a light beer about 110 calories, and a dark ale is 170 calories. But beer is low in alcohol content. Hence, you'd need to drink more of it to be affected. You need to cut a deal with yourself to drink only one or two beers at any given outing. Portion control is crucial here; otherwise, you may as well eat a burger value meal and call it a day.

tell us

All of these need to be drunk within measure and responsibly. What's your go-to drink when counting the calories?